USAID’s Economic Growth Project Was Not On Track To Facilitate More Productive and Inclusive Value Chains in Haiti
Summary — This audit report by the Office of Inspector General of USAID examines the Local Enterprise and Value-Chain Enhancement (LEVE) Project in Haiti. The audit found that the project was not on track to achieve its goal of facilitating more productive and inclusive value chains due to several factors, including underestimation of training needs and ineffective monitoring.
Key Findings
- The LEVE project was not on track to achieve its goal of facilitating more productive and inclusive value chains.
- The project underestimated the training and capacity-building needs of businesses.
- The project's focus on smaller enterprises limited its ability to create a large number of new jobs.
- Constraints in the value chains, such as the slow growth of a new industrial park and a lack of regulations in the construction sector, hindered progress.
- USAID/Haiti did not effectively monitor the project's progress or overall impact.
Full Description
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of USAID/Haiti’s Local Enterprise and Value-Chain Enhancement (LEVE) Project, a $32 million initiative designed to support micro-, small, and medium-size enterprises (MSMEs) and create jobs by making value chains more productive and inclusive. The audit assessed whether the project was achieving its goal to facilitate more productive and inclusive value chains that contribute to broad-based economic growth and reviewed the mission’s monitoring of project performance and impact. The OIG found that the project was not on track to achieve its goals due to factors such as underestimated training needs, a focus on smaller enterprises that limited job creation, and constraints within the targeted value chains. Furthermore, USAID/Haiti did not effectively monitor the project's progress or overall impact, lacking baselines for key indicators and failing to ensure performance data met quality standards.